Resource Centre
The Department's Resource Centre was established to create an easily accessible resource for students and lecturers.
Located on the third floor of Boukunde, the Resource Centre is open weekly and the the facility is augmented by those of the Merensky Library on campus.
The following resources are available in the Department of Architecture Reading Room: A selection of the latest local and international journals on architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture.
A collection of books on design, materials and construction and a selection of reference works
- Product catalogues and a material sample library
- Undergraduate and postgraduate thesis documents since 1949
- The Architectural Archive at UP (AAUP)
The Resource Centre includes a reading room, archive, seminar room and a private reading lounge that groups of students and lecturers can use.
Digital Design Lab
The Department has the only 24-hour computer laboratory on campus.
It is accessible only to Boukunde students and is a secure, controlled environment. The laboratory is equipped with 48 Dell computers with all the required software installed, including an open-source graphics editing software suite. The lab is used for instruction in the following software:
- Autodesk AutoCAD & Revit
- Artlantis
- Google Sketch-UP
- Twinmotion
- Sefaira
- Envimet
Pixel Lab
The Pixel Lab is run as an enterprise providing on-site large format printing, laser cutting and 3D printing facilities to students at affordable rates and saving them. The Department uses two new A0 plotters, one with an A0 scanner, an A2 industrial laser cutter and a Zbuilder Ultra 3D printer. A Creaform 3D scanner completes the three-dimensional development and printing processes. A printing manager oversees the printing processes and maintenance of these machines.
Digital Crit Space
Architectural design and presentation have largely moved into the digital realm, and it is important for senior and postgraduate students to be able to develop and demonstrate their skills in this regard. Many of the new ways of representation make use of dynamic models and multimedia elements which cannot be adequately presented in the traditional formats of paper prints and static models.
In 2021 the department created a digital crit space with eight 72” high-definition screens linked to a high-powered processor and to cloud storage via a high-speed WiFi connection. The intention of this facility is to provide a space where students can present their work for design reviews and exams in various digital formats, as they would be required to do in practice. In the case of intermittent off-campus work, but a return to campus for examination, this facility also allows students to present their portfolio without having to transfer digital work developed during off-campus periods to more traditional formats for examination.
